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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 14, 2005 John Hiatt brings high-octate blues and rock to Britt There are recording guys and there are live guys. Great as John Hiatt’s recording legacy is, he’s a live guy. His reputation is that of a musician’s musician who plays rootsy rock and bluesy country. But you have to see him to really get it. Hiatt breezed into the Rogue Valley for a Britt show Wednesday night in support of his 21st and latest album, "Master of Disaster," and killed a moderate-sized crowd of cognoscenti. The North Mississippi Allstars, Hiatt’s backup band, opened with a down-home set of high-octane blues that ranged from Duane Allman to Jimmy Rogers. Hiatt opened with "Dad Did," rocking the crowd right out of the gate, wearing brown geek slacks and some kind of Hush Puppies and an untucked white shirt, lashing and fingerpicking what appeared to be a Gibson J-200. At 52, he seems content to sell a couple hundred thousand albums a year and tour constantly (he’s on a 32-gig tour) to enthusiastic crowds of knowledgeable fans in smaller venues. He went to "Master of Disaster" for the second song, the beautiful "When My Love Crosses Over." It sounds like gospel but is about the opening of the American West, of all things. Or maybe it’s a metaphor for other frontiers. "Thunderbird" followed, a cinematic fantasy about a vanished future — and a damn good car song, a "Car Talk"-worthy car song. Advertisement "Master" was recorded on a new direct stream digital system at Ardent Studios in Memphis, produced by Jim Dickinson, whose sons, Cody and Luther, play drums and bass, respectively, in the Allstars. If the evening was dominated by songs from that disc, nobody was complaining. These are songs of loss and love, hard times and regrets and dark passions. Hiatt started in a coffee house in Indianapolis and moved to Nashville at 18. His voice is an acquired taste, but it’s powerful live. As a songwriter he joins a very few others — Bob Dylan and Bruce Cockburn come to mind — in never seeming to run out of ideas. His songs get covered by artists from Dylan and Bonnie Raitt to Bruce Springsteen and Suzy Bogguss. The slightly apocalyptic "Cry Love" cranked the energy level. Chris Chewe turned in a nice bass solo. All four players switched axes frequently, with Hiatt playing beautiful vintage Gibsons. He switched to a J45 for "Master of Disaster," explaining in his best, self-deprecating style, "You write what you know." The song is about, basically, screwing up in life. "The Tiki Bar is Open" was pure rock ’n’ roll, Hiatt’s prescription for getting your shorts out of various knots. It was incendiary. "Ain’t Goin’ Back" is a stark tune that showed off Hiatt’s country chops, deceptively simple and powerful, a heart-twanger that gets much of its power from repetition. Hiatt writes songs by noodling around on the guitar and seeing what comes, the music always first. Maybe the guitar-driven approach is the reason his lyrics seem such an organic part of his tunes. The new "Find You at Last" was hard-driving. "Love’s Not Where We Thought We Left It" hit as hard in the lyrics as the tune. "Have a Little Faith in Me" with Hiatt on keyboards was a beautiful encore, and Hiatt’s (yes, Bonnie Raitt didn’t write it) "Are You Ready for This Thing Called Love" brought the band back. The "Master of Disaster" songs that dominated the show are tales of loss and obsession and hard-won knowledge of some of the simplest things in life, and the most difficult things. They’re a fine addition to the Hiatt oeuvre, a mongo chunk of pure Americana. Reach reporter Bill Varbleat 776-4478 or e-mail John Hiatt brings high-octate blues and rock to Britt ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztechmedia Website Hosting Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Advertisement s